Washing machine



Aug. 11, 1942.

A. MATTHEWS WASHING MACHINE Y Fil ed June 21, 1940 INVE NTOR ALBERT MATTHEWS- 2 a q E 2. a an 8T M mm" 3 mu 2, 3 m h 4% 3 0 .v .R 00 on 8 7 Aug. 11, 1942';

A. MATTHEWS vmsnme MACHINE.

4 sheets-sheet 2 F 'iled June 21, 1940 FIG-2 FIG-6 INVENTOR BY ALBERT MATTHEWS ATTORNEYS Ina-3 'A|. 1 g. 11 ,l942. W HEws 2292789 vmsnnm MACHINE Filed J n; 21,1940 ,4 Sheets-$heet 4 lDlDlDlBlIlll '9: aa' 9s Fla-a- UUUIBIBI] IUII I IIlllF INVENTOR ALBERT MATTHEWS ATTORNEYS rated washing h m astoformthetwochambe has its respective entry and discharge passages 55 reverses, generally, its direction flowing b Patented Au 11, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT .OFFi CE WASHING MACHINE Albert Matthews, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The American Laundry Machinery Company,

Norwood, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 2.1, 1940, Serial No. 341,685

6 Claims. (CI. 68-58) The invention relates to washing machines of the type known as tubiess or shell-less washers. In a machine thus designated a single -container, usually cylindrical, performs both the functions of the rotatable, inner, goods-containing cylinder, and the outer stationary water-containing shell of the conventional type of washer. In the older, tub ty'pe machine which was provided with a rotating container within a stationary member, the rotating container was necessarily perforate to allow ready access of detergent to the goods.

In the newer, or tubiess, type the usual practice has been to effect the entry and discharge of detergent through passages centered in trunnions in the axis of rotation of the washer. I

With this type of tubless washer, in which the detergent entered at one end and discharged through the other end, the design was limited for.

obvious reasons to a single chamber. Since the driving mechanism, supporting frame, and supply conduits, etc., occupy a substantial floor space, it becomes desirable that an apparatus be-devised for achieving the advantages of the tubiess type washer and at the same time securing a plurality of distinct washing chambers in a unitary assembly.

'I'hepresent invention permits the use of 1 two totally separated chambers, simultaneously operated by the same driving mechanism, and each being individually servedby-a source of detergent supply. Each chamber has mechanism for effecting a total discharge of detergent while the machine is in operation. Further, each chamber has facilities for maintaining the detergent level at any desired depth, within convenient limits, and each chamber may be operated undera continuous flow with discharge of excess fluid while the machine is continuously operated.

I have discovered that improved results may be achievedby introducing the detergent through a passageway centered in a trunnion at the end of the chamber while discharging it through an opening or series of openings in the cylindrical periphery of the chamber. means embracing the said cylinder in the zone of said openings as a sealing means for a substantial extent of the lower portion of said outlets. In a preferred embodiment of my invenm the ends re'motefrom the dividing partition.

This permits two separate loads to be simultaneously washed while securing the advantages of entry and discharge of detergent without stop- .ping the machine, as will hereinafter appear.

One object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a tubiess type washer wherein two separate loads may be simultaneously washed, and the detergent continuously introduced and discharged during operation.

A further object of my invention is to provide a tubiess type washer comprising two totally separated chambers, simultaneously operated 'by the same driving mechanism, yet each being separately serviced by a source of detergent supply, and each having a separate total discharge and overflow control.

A further object of my invention involves the application of my novel idea. of axial entry-and peripheral discharge of detergent to a single chamber, tubiess type machine.

Further objects and advantages willbe apparent from the following description, and from the accompanying drawings illustrating several embodiments of my invention, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of one form of the machine; Fig. 2 is an end elevation looking from the left of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 'is an end elevation looking from the right of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section of the machine taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. '7, showing one of the discharge belts in the discharging position, parts being broken away to show a partial section'on the I use flexible belt line 4-4 of Fig. '7;

Fig. 5 is a section of the cylinder taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 7;

,Fig. 6 is a detail section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 71s a sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 3; p

Fig. 8 is a partial section and front elevation of'a modified form.

In a machine of the dual chamber type, first to be described, and shown in detail in Figs. Ito

7, I prefer to introduce the detergent through a passage in a trunnion coaxial with the axis of tion I use a washer comprising two wholly sepaalthough the invention may be applied to a single chamber washer. An

cylinder is divided by an imperforate rotation. It passes thence through radially disposed conduits into longitudinal ribs spaced along the interior of the cylindrical outer wall.

The ribs are inwardly perforated ,near the end of the chamber remote from the entry point and the detergent enters the washing chamberand in bearings l8 and I9 supported in frame mem bers 20 and 2|. The frame members are securely spaced by tie rods 22.

Since, in the present embodiment, each of the washing chambers l2 and I3 operates as a distinct unit, except where otherwise noted, the description will be continued with special reference to chamber 12.

A discharge head 23 is partially contained between end wall l6 and an outer 'wall 24, shown as substantially parallel towall l6 andspaced therefrom by a circumferentialwall 25 equipped with perforations 26. Superimposed upon said head 23 and forming a concentric extension thereof is a smaller chamber 21 which is a stepdown continuation of the discharge head, bounded on its outer end by wail 28, and on its periphery by a perforate circumferential wall 29. The chamber 23 and its continuation 2'1 arein, communication with washing chamber i2 through a series of perforations 30 in end wall l6.

Detergent fluid from an external source is conveyed into the washing chamber through the passage 3| in trunnion l4 and as it passes through end wall l6 it diverges through a plurality of radially disposed passages 32 into hollow ribs 33 extending longitudinally along the interior of the inner surface of cylinder Ill. Ribs 33 are preferably perforated as at 34 to permit the detergent fluid to pass into the washing chamber, from whence it flows, either continuously or intermittently, outwardly to a drain in a. manner .now to be described.

A flexible belt 35 retained in its seat by suit able flanges 35a embraces a substantial portion of the lower periphery of the discharge head 23, its upper portion passing over a pulley 36 mounted eccentrically by means of shaft 31 and crank arms 38 on main shaft 39. When held in operative position by the adjustment of its idler pulley, the flexible belt provides a liquid 'seal for the discharge head to the extent of that portion of its peripheral seat embraced by the belt.

Tension on the belt 35 is relieved, and the extent of its sealing engagement is progressively A certain amount of control over the level of liquid in the machine is. secured by adjustment discharge chamber will flow" outwardly into of the belt 36 through variation of the position of its idler pulley as hereinbefore described. An

auxiliary level control is obtainable by a further application of my peripheral discharge method in the following manner. A smaller coaxial extension 29 which is stepped down from discharge head 25 has a sealing belt 46 passing over an idler pulley 41 which is disposed by means of crank arms 48 eccentric to shaft 49 as best seen in Figs. 3 and 7. The position of pulley 41 is adjustable towards and away from the axis of rotation of cylinder I0 in a manner identical with that described for the adjustment of pulley 36. This is accomplished by causing gear 41a to rotate by means of its meshed worm 5! rod 5| and hand wheel 52. By suitable adjustment of the position of idler pulley 41 the belt 46 may be caused to embrace either a substantial portion of its peripheral seat around the auxiliary discharge chamber 29, or may be gradually unseated to a complete dischargeposition at which point all liquid in the washer above the level of the lowest free aperture in the auxiliary drain 45. Continuous operation with or without overflow of excess liquid is facilitated by this last described arrangement which augments the control permissible by means of the position of belt 35 as hereinabove fully described.

As clearly illustrated in Fig. 7, this particular embodiment of my invention is designed for simultaneously processing two loads at the same time, since the chamber I3 in the right half of the drawing is a duplicate of its counterpart l2 previously described. The hand wheels, by means of shafts and 49, control the sealing belts at both ends of the machine. -If individual control of liquid level for each half is desired, shafts 39 and 49 could readily be adapted,;by additional center pulleys and termination of the shafts thereat, to be separately operated by adding another set of hand wheels for the left end of the machine. Also, if desired, the partition from the axis of rotation of the cylinderin the following manner. As seen to best advantagein ,Figs. 3 and 7, a coaxial extension of shaft 39 has mounted on its end a gear 45 which engages a worm 4| on the end of rod 42 which is rotatable in bearing brackets 43 integral with the frame 2|. Rod 42 has aflixed to its end a hand wheel 44 conveniently disposed to rotate the shaft 39 through the medium of the worm and gear. Rotation of the shaft 39 swings the pulley 36, because of the crank throw, towards or away from the rotating. cylinder I0 and the crank throw is designed to allow the belt to be completely disengaged from its peripheral seat if so desired. This may be accomplished while the cylinder is rotating at any speed. Since the detergent may freely pass into the discharge head through ap-- ertures 30 in the wall l6and thence into a, drain ll between the two chambers may be perforated to permit the use of a common washing solution while keeping the two batches of goods separated. I

Referring now to Figs. 1, 3 and 7, water, steam and other washing supplies enter'through the hollow gudgeons l4 and 53. The water, from hot and cold supply pipes 54 and 55 under the control of valves and 51 respectively, enters a. mixing chamber 58 and thence through pipes 53 and 60 to the gudgeon passageways. Since, in the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 7, both ends are substantial duplicates, the description proceeds with the detergent control means for chamber l3.

Valve ll is provided to control the detergent from supply line 62, under the control of valve 53 is admitted to the magma l3 and to the gudgeon 3| through Supplies are delivered by. steam injection.

' This system comprises a supply bowl 61 connected by pipe lines 68 and 69 to the mixing chamber 58. Steam under the control of valve III is supplied through line H to an injection nozzle 12. When it is desired to deliver supplies such as soap, soda, bluing,-etc., to the mixing chamber the valve I is turned on and the suction induced by the injection nozzle draws the supplies into the pipe 69 and thence into the mixing chamber.

A check valve 13 prevents water from backing up into line 69.

The driving mechanism is best seen in Figs. 1,

2 and 7. A motor 14 is mounted on a bracket '|5 attached to the frame 20. The motor is provided with a brake I6 and with conventional speed control, reversing mechanism, etc., (not shown), controlled from switch box 11 (Fig. l).

A sprocket pinion 18 is mounted on the motor shaft which drives, by means of a chain belt 19,

a sprocket 80 on a shaft 81 mounted on the I frame. Thisshaft 8| carries another sprocket 82 connected by a chain 83-with a sprocket 84 attachcd to gudgeon H The two chamber machine shown in Fig. l is provided with sliding doors 85 and." movable in guides. A cross beam 88, fittedat its ends under brackets 89 has a threaded aperture in its center portion which carries a threaded shaft 90 .operated by a hand wheel. 9|. The inner end oi the-shaft engages the door 85 and clamps it in position. v

A somewhat modified embodiment of my invention is shown'in Fig. 8. This is a single chamber machine in which duplicate entry and.

While it is apparent from a study of the present'disclcsure that I have provided means to! simultaneously processing two distinct loads in a tubless type washer simultaneously under conditions permitting the continuous entry and discharge of detergent, it is further apparent that certain advantages incident to the axial entry and peripheral discharge of detergent may be achieved in a single chamber machine, and it is my intention that both embodiments -of the invention as well as equivalents thereof, may be included within the scope of the appended 1 claims.

discharge passages for detergent are provided at both ends of the chamber. The detergent, entering through hollow gudgeon 92' and radial passages 93 as hereinbefore described, passes into hollow ribs 94, enters the washing chamber at about its center portion through apertures 95 and is subsequently discharged through openings in the periphery of the cylinder as hereinbeiore described. The advantage of this type of machine is that the detergent traverses only approximatelyone-half of the load, and the accumulation of soil near the outlets is only about one-half the accumulation encountered in a single chamber machine having the same total load capacity and having its liquid entry at one end of the chamber and the discharge at the other end.

In operating the machine the load is placed 'in the washer and the doors are closed and clamped. Supplies from the chamber v61 are delivered to the mixing chamber as hereinbefore described. Water from lines 54 and .55 is delivered in volume to provide a suitable temperature and is furnished toone or both chambers depending on whether it is desired to operate a single pocket or both pockets. A suitable liquid level is maintained by manual adjustment oi the two sealing belts. Overflow operation may be maintained by keeping either or both.- oi the valves 56 and 51 in partially open position, or

individual control on either side separately may be had by valves 6| or 98'. The cylinder is rotated by starting the motor II from switch 11' in the conventional manner. At the end of the washing operation the detergent is completely discharged by releasing. the tension on -.belt 35 for instance to the point where it breaks contact with the-lowest portion of its peripheral seat.

' means for. sealing andunsealing said opening What I claim is: 1. A tubless type washer comprising a rotatable cylinder provided with an inlet passage for detergent fluid in the end thereof and positioned substantially at the axis of rotation, a main discharge chamber comprising substantially a cylindrical continuation of the rotatable cylinder,

an auxiliary discharge chamber comprising a step down coaxial continuation of said main dis- I charge chamber, said main discharge chamber and said auxiliary discharge chamber having upon the periphery of each a perforated portion,

and-flexible belt means embracing said respective;

chamber comprising substantially a cylindrical continuation of the rotatable cylinder, an auxiliary discharge chambercomprising a stepdown coaxial continuation. of said -main discharge chamber, said main discharge chamber and said auxiliary discharge chamber having upon the periphery of each a perforated portion, flexiblebelt means embracing said respective perforated peripheries and forming a liquid seal for the lower portion thereof, and adjustable meansfor -mov-" ing said belt means into and out of contact with said perforated peripheries.

3. A tubless ,type washer comprising a' chambered work holding cylinder rotatable about a' horizontal axis and having a generally imp rforate cylindrical body provided with portions perforated to form outlets located at diflerent distances from the axis, and means operative while the. cylinder is rotating for selectively closing or opening either outlet independently of the other, in such manner as to permit drainage discharge to diflerent predetermined levels.

4. A tubless type washer comprising a rotatable work containing cylinder having at one end thereof a discharge head, said discharge head having a portion provided with a discharge opening, means for sealing and unsealing said opening during rotation of said cylinder, said discharge head having a further portion spaced inwardly from said first mentioned discharge opening and towards the axis of rotation, said further portion being provided with a second discharge opening,

and means for sealing and unsealing said second.

opening during rotation of said cylinder.

5. A tubless type washer comprising. a rotatable work containing cylinder having at one end thereof a discharge head, said discharge head having a portion provided with a discharge opening,

during rotation of said cylinder, said discharge head having a further portion'spaced inwardly from "said first mentioned discharge opening and towards the axis of rotation, said further portion substantially at the axis of rotation, said washer having its cylindrical body generally imperforate but provided with portions perforated to form outlets located at different distances from the axis, and means operative while the cylinder is v rotating for selectively opening or closing either outlet independently oi the other in such manner as to permit drainage discharge to difl'erent predetermined levels.

' ALBERT MATTHEWS. 

